“ Tennis taught me so many lessons in life. One of the things it taught me is that every ball that comes to me, I have to make a decision. I have to accept responsibility for the consequences every time… Billie Jean King
“ Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquillity. Billie Jean King
“ In the seventies we had to make it acceptable for people to accept girls and women as athletes. We had to make it okay for them to be active. Those were much scarier times for females in sports. Billie Jean King
“ Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose-it teaches you about life. Billie Jean King
“ That is where the power, opportunity, and choice come from-when you have money. Money equals opportunity. There is no question. Billie Jean King
“ Champions take responsibility. When the ball is coming over the net you can be sure I want the ball. Billie Jean King
“ When we reach the point where the women athletes are getting their pick of dates just as easily as the men athletes, then we've really and truly arrived. Parity at last! Billie Jean King
“ There is no life for girls in team sports past Little League. I got into tennis when I realized this, and because I thought golf would be too slow for me, and I was too scared to swim. Billie Jean King
“ I think it's impossible to judge whether another person should come out. You just hope they will on their own time and their own terms. Billie Jean King
“ Men can have a huge turnover of sponsorship and still survive a lot better than the women. But the women's ratings are better, at least at home in the United States than in the men's tennis. Billie Jean King
“ When they take surveys of women in business, of the Fortune 500, the successful women, 80% of them, say they were in sports as a young woman. Billie Jean King
“ Women's sports is still in its infancy. The beginning of women's sports in the United States started in 1972, with the passage of Title 9 for girls to finally get athletic scholarships. Billie Jean King
“ I think self-awareness is probably the most important thing towards becoming a champion. Billie Jean King
